February 15th: The Holdovers - a film about a grumpy school master having to babysit pupils at a posh boarding school who can't go home for Christmas could have been a cross between The Breakfast Club and Dead Poets Society, and it would have done well. However, The Holdovers manacles to nimbly avoid feel-good cliches, thanks to a small but consistently excellent cast, as well as tight scripting and solid direction, and instead delivers a bitter-sweet gem of a film.
The only real issue is that those involved won't get the recognition they deserve because the Oppenheimer juggernaut is sweeping everyone else aside in the awards, although I was pleased to see Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the Best Supporting Actress BAFTA and she, rightly, has been scooping up awards in that category. Paul Giamatti, unfortunately, may have to sit out most of the awards ceremonies, although he did get the Best Actor Golden Globe.
I'm really looking forward to Small Things Like These! I hope it gets a theatrical release near me :)
It sounds like it'll be a tough watch but worth it.
Probably has a bit longer to go on the festival circuit before getting a general release.
The End We Start From (2023) - probably one of the most believable 'disaster movies' I have ever seen. Set in the near future when climate change and intense rain brings flooding to London and other areas, the film follows Jodie Comer's character and her newborn baby as she finds a way to survive. The director, Mahalia Belo, takes a distant, observational approach for much of the film leaving space for Comer's performance - and Comer makes excellent use of this, as do the rest of the cast, and holds the attention throughout. I have seen several very good films in recent months, but this is going to stay with me longer than many of them.
